British intelligence: China can take control of the world’s operating system

The services believe that in a few decades the country will dominate all important new technologies such as artificial intelligence, synthetic biology and genetics.

The West must act urgently to prevent China from dominating key 21st century technologies, because otherwise the communist state could effectively take control of the world’s “operating system,” said Britain’s director of electronic intelligence. Jeremy Fleming, quoted by Reuters.

The British intelligence services believe that in a few decades China may dominate all important new technologies in the 21st century, in particular artificial intelligence, synthetic biology and genetics.

Fleming, who heads the Center for Government Communications, said the West needed to take steps to prevent key technology technologies from falling under the control of competitors such as China or Russia.

“Technological leadership is shifting significantly to the East,” he told Imperial College London. “It is worrying that China’s scale and technological weight mean that it has the potential to control the world’s operating system,” Fleming said.

He said that if Britain wanted to remain a global cyber power, it must develop “sovereign technologies” in various fields, including cryptography, to protect sensitive information and capacity.

According to him, Russia remains the biggest immediate threat to the West, but China’s long-term dominance in technology is a much more serious problem.

According to him, quantum computers are approaching, but they can create danger, as it is possible for opponents to use similar computer power for electronic intrusions and possibly for theft of secrets. Fleming pointed out that quantum computers offer opportunities, but also risks.

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